Of Dust and Demons
by RandomMuses
Summary: Cortana survived rampancy. She now has a semi-human body. But she's broken. Is this the beginning or the end? Post-Halo 4 Rated M to be safe
1. Breathe Again

**NOTE:** Forgive my mistakes. I know very little of the Halo universe but I watched some clips of Halo 4 and fell instantly in love with the dynamics between these 2 characters.

These writings will be random, unpolished pieces which will probably make sense only to me. But you're more than welcome to come along for the ride. =)

**Just in case: DO NOT READ IF YOU DON'T WANT TO BE SPOILED FOR HALO 4**

**Background info:** Somehow Cortana survived rampancy. She now has a semi-human body. But she's broken. Is this the start or the end?

* * *

Pinpricks.

A thousand of them jabbing into her body starting from the neck and radiating down. Her breath shuttered too loudly in the dark. Overhead the two moons flickered in and out of focus. She began to twitch uncontrollably. Slight tremors seizing control of her muscles.

Noises.

She choked on her next breath. _Someone was in pain! _Their cries pounded thru her skull with a bruising force. _Was that her voice crying out?_ The gravel dug into her skin. _Flesh and bone. _Somehow she was on her hands and knees watching tears wet the grass beneath her fingers.

A strangled whimper crawled its way out her throat. She bit her lip until the air hinted at metal and copper. She ran muddy fingers across her teeth feeling the warm liquid seep underneath her nails. _Blood. _ It was oddly comforting to feel such warmth. She watched the redness harden into flaky dry specks.

_NO! _Something was wrong. _Get it off, get it off. GET IT OFF! _She clawed at her fingertips. She ripped chucks of earth from the floor. But the blood kept coming. _It was everywhere!_ It covered the ground and slowly slithered up her legs. She twisted backwards and landed on her stomach. _Crack!_

"AHH!"

_Someone help me! _She was suffocating! The darkness robbed the air from her lungs. She writhed in agony desperate to escape all the blood. Her forehead slammed into the ground. For a split second, the world went dark. Then something screamed in her ear. It felt like thunder underwater: Powerful, angry and distorted.

"STOP IT!"

Suddenly, she was immobilized. The air rushed from her body in a painful gasp. The demon landed on her spine and crushed her ribs. She tried to push up but her arms were locked behind her back. She snarled snapping her teeth and kicked out her legs, fighting like a rapid animal.

She threw her head backward and felt an awful crunch. The demon grunted in pain. She twisted and threw her weight. Sparks of blue flames jumped from her skin and snapped angrily at the intruder. She felt the power grow. She became feverish. Her skin slicked with sweat. The manacles holding her wrists loosened for a second and she used the second wisely. With all her strength, she slammed her elbow into its body. Reaching back, she clawed until she felt skin tear.

"Control yourself!" The demon demanded. Fool! She would give it nothing! She fought harder. It retaliated by twisting her arm until her shoulder popped. Her scream pierced the night. She screamed and screamed until tears clogged her throat. She screamed until she cried. _Pathetic. _In the end, she begged for mercy like a prisoner before her master.

"Please."

A heartbeat. Or a lifetime.

But eventually, the weight on her back shifted. Her wrists slowly set free. She fought not to gag as every cut and bruise announced itself. The adrenaline that once kept her fighting now left her feeling broken.

She tried to hug her knees to her chest, wanting to escape from the agony. _Hot and cold. _She couldn't tell if she was going to die or throw up her stomach. The buzzing in her ear was getting louder and louder. She thrashed to get away from the noise.

And then…a whisper.

"Cortana."

The word meant nothing. But the sound tugged at her consciousness. _Like velvet across nerve endings. _The gruffness of the voice reached in and awoke parts of her she thought long lost. Fingers swept the hair from her eyes. She kept them tightly closed and turned her face into the warmth.

"Cortana, look at me."

As if her body was his to command, she felt her heavy eyelids flutter and open. His wide shoulders filled her vision. Four jagged red marks slashed across his face from her nails. He loomed over her with muscles coiled in tension. Even without the armor, his body was every bit as powerful as the suit he donned.

_Her warrior._

The sight of him so strong made her feel small and ashamed. "John." Cortana shut her eyes but the tears fell anyway. She curled herself into a ball hoping to hide from his penetrating gaze.

John ran his thumb across her bloodied lip. He asked a hundred questions in that simple gesture. She had no answer worth giving. A breeze swept thru the trees and across her sweat-soaked flesh. Cortana cradled her throbbing arm between her breasts and felt icicles stab along her naked skin.

John raised his arms and stripped off his shirt. His flesh was a canvas of scars that spoke of a lifetime on the battlefield. Even though she was half mad with the echo of rampancy, the sight of him still took her breath away. John wrapped his shirt around her shivering body. Cortana burrowed her face into the fabric and let the essence of him fill her senses.

"I hurt, John," she shamefully admitted. Cortana hated how weak she sounded. But it was too late to take back the the words so she forced the truth out. "I don't want to live like this."

"I _can't_," she whimpered. "I want you to let me go. I need you to –"

"No."

"John –"

His fingers dug painfully into her neck. John dropped down until his face was inches from hers. This close, she could count the gold specks in his eyes. She could feel the warmth of his breath. When he spoke, he enunciated slowly as if each word was carefully chosen.

"I am not leaving you here. The ship takes off at 0900. We're either both on it or we stay."

Cortana searched his eyes and tried to find the source of his conviction. Despite all the sacrifices, his faith never wavered. Civilizations could fall and worlds could collide but this Spartan would never hang his head in shame. Never walk away and accept defeat. As long as he breathed, he would fight.

For a future. For humanity.

_For her._

Beyond his shoulders, the sky looked enormous. The universe stretched in all directions. Tomorrow offered nothing, yet demanded so much of them. Cortana wanted to bury her face into the safety of the cotton shirt but John held her face in his hand. She felt the power in his forearms, his biceps, in the magnificence of his chest. He was assembled beautifully. A more perfect being would shut her eyes and let him go. He deserved so much more than a fragmented mind and a broken body.

The sky turned pink. Dawn was quickly approaching. Cortana turned her face into his palm and felt his calluses drag across her lips.

"I want to see the sunrise," she murmured.

John froze. Cortana felt his muscles lock as if preparing for a battle. She surprised him. Whatever he expected her to say, it wasn't that. John sat and slowly stretched his big body until his back was flat against the grass. Though half naked, he didn't seem bothered by the cold morning air.

They were separated by an inch of space but it didn't matter. She'd lived in his mind and seen the world thru his eyes. Even when they were separated by galaxies, she still knew each beat of his heart.

John watched the sun set fire to the sky.

Cortana watched him instead.

_Sunrise never looked more beautiful. _


	2. Breathe Again II

**NOTE: **The weather was so gloomy today. I wanted to take Cortana/Chief down a dark path.

I apologize for the excessive use of run-on sentences and for my tenses being all over the place. My thoughts were very scattered. Enjoy! =)**  
**

**Part 2:  
**

* * *

The beeping woke her.

Its sound muffled by the tall grass. An antenna peeked from beneath the foliage. She closed her eyes willing the noise to disappear but the incessant red light blinked with every half heartbeat_. _Cortana focused her energy and tuned into the frequency. _Message from base pilot. _She quickly deciphered the wavelengths. Faint blue streaks ran from her eyes and disappeared beneath her dark hairline. The strange symbols running up her arms pulsed with power.

_Supplies loaded. All personals accounted for. Engine hot. Awaiting command, sir. _

Without opening her eyes, Cortana emitted a small burst of energy quickly surveying the area.

_Terrestrial landmass. 18.2 degrees Celsius. Dense vegetation. Expected thunder-storm at 1900 hours. _

_A lake 20 km north. Water contaminated. Substance RYaR-0051. _

___Pelican 8.2 km southeast. _

She took a breath and sharpened her vision.

_The pilot was falling asleep in the cockpit. 2 Spartans arm wrestled near the crates. A fire burned unattended. _Cortana sent a wave of energy and watched the flames diminished.

_Wildlife just beyond the trees to the left. Aves. Herbivores._

The leaves rustled. Beside her, she felt John explode into action. Cortana opened her eyes and slowly blinked away the cobwebs of sleep. John was crouched low to the ground focused on the trees ahead. His arm was extended with the pistol in his hand. His shoulders flexed and she traced the strong lines of his back with her eyes. Angry veins raced up his forearm. His aim steady. In the bright morning sun, his eyes appeared almost golden. _Fierce. _

Curious, she scanned his heart rate.

_45 BPM. Deceptively calm and always deadly._

The rustling got louder. John's finger rested against the trigger. His eyes unblinking. Feeling mischievous, Cortana sent out a spike of energy.

_SQUAWK! _

_SQUA –! _

The creature shot out of the foliage like a Pelican thru slipspace. With a snap of his left arm, John had the it pinned down. His aim never wavered from the trees where they animal exploded from.

_65 BPM. Hmm…not bad._

Cortana sat up flinching as her wounds protested. With careful movements, she slipped on the shirt. It fell pass her knees, reminding her of Spartans and their impressive height. _Short men need not apply._

She peered over John's shoulders. The small bird-like creature wiggled furiously beneath his grasp. It shrieked with indignity and pecked at his fingertips.

"Meet humanity's next greatest threat." Cortana gently pried the creature from beneath his hand. It snapped and fluttered like a drunken airship. With an angry squeak, it plopped on the ground and quickly disappeared into the nearby shrub.

"You made a powerful enemy today, Chief." She sent him a smile. As expected, John reacted with vigor. Or as vigorous as he was capable of. Which was to say….not vigorous at all.

He blinked.

John lowered the gun. His body still coiled with tension. She could feel him subtly track the forest around them. "I scanned the area," she assured. "The only enemies are of the small and furry variety."

John tensed.

Cortana regretted the words as soon as they left her mouth. Her survival and powers were still touchy subjects between them. One moment, he thought she was gone forever. Then she appeared with a beating heart and a body faintly tattooed with symbols that even the best cryptographers could not explain. No one knew what the symbols meant, only that they took on a bluish glow whenever she used her powers.

Powers that even she did not fully understand.

At first, Cortana thought she'd been gifted with humanity. It was surreal to finally be touched by the sun's warmth, to taste the different flavors of the world and feel the texture of fabric against her skin. Life was made beautiful.

But it was a lie.

She didn't need a reflection to know that her eyes remained the same. Still the palest of blue that glowed with an inhuman light. If she looked closed enough, she could see the data fragments being processed within her pupils. This physical deformity along with the fact that she occasionally went bat-shit crazy made her more of a threat than an asset.

_Humanity's greatest ally? Or their downfall?_ She knew the UNSC only kept her close enough to inactive her when necessary. If they couldn't exploit her powers then they would destroy her before she fell into rampancy again. Most days she felt more like a specimen than flesh and bone.

_Beep. Beep. Beep._

They stared at the radio. As always, John's emotions were impossible to gauge. Cortana forced a smile, hoping she didn't look as desperate as she felt. She was about to say something witty when John switched the device off.

She snapped her head up and stared at him.

"They could wait."

As if that was the end of their discussion, John stood and strapped the radio to his belt. He placed the pistol back in its holster and went grab the combat vest off the floor. She noticed the ammunition scattered across the ground. He must've gone back to the carrier while she slept.

John shrugged on the heavy vest with the ease of a veteran soldier. Each movement efficient. Done without thought. With his back turned towards her, Cortana listened as he zipped, snapped and clicked the vest into place. She clenched her fists.

_Why was he always the one who got to walk away? _Blue flames danced along her skin._ Was her pain so dismissible?_

John walked to the edge of their campsite and stomped on the fire he built last night.

_How long should she wait? Until it was convenient for him to leave?_

She heard him load the battle rifle. Cock the weapon. Flip the safety switch. John never left anything to chance. Her anger exploded out of nowhere. Paralyzing her lungs. He mocked her with his silence. How dare he remain so calm while her world was being ripped out from under her! The universe didn't just stop because he said so. His conviction didn't mend her broken mind.

_Damn him and all his arrogance!_

"Wait how long, John?" Cortana demanded.

He ignored her words.

In an instant, she was on her feet. "An hour? Maybe a week? A year? Would that work for you?"

She took a step.

Then two.

Soon she was running, stumbling towards him. John turned just in time to break her fall. But Cortana slapped his hands away and slammed her injured shoulder into his chest. She almost fainted from the pain. He wrapped his arms around her and she fought his touch as if it burned.

_I DON'T NEED COMFORT!_

Cortana grabbed onto his neck and dragged the nearly 7-feet Spartan down to his knees. What she needed was his fury. To taste the strength that he kept so securely locked down.

John allowed her to pushed him to the floor. She pulled his face up until she exposed the fragile muscles of his neck. He fought every instinct not to hurt her. On his knees, they were nearly at eye level.

_She didn't want the man._ Cortana dug her thumbs into his windpipe. _She wanted his demons. Demons that hinted at a soul just as broken and mad as her._

The sound of his wheezing breath only seemed to feed her sudden bloodlust. She wanted to rip him apart. Tear him into pieces. To finally see for herself that beneath the armor's glory…he was just a man.

Just as fragile and easily broken.

Not a Spartan or a soldier. Not a God.

_Not her God. _

She burrowed her nails into his neck tilting his jaw to an unnatural angle. Blood trickled down his spine. With the flick of her wrists, she could kill him. Humanity's greatest hero on bended knees. Mercy…hers to give. Such power was overwhelming.

Cortana leaned in and stole the breath from his lips. Her voice no longer her own. "How long would you wait, Spartan?" She whispered against his mouth. Her eerie blue eyes so pale, they burned like twin white flames. Her anger arrested him. She was a goddess whose wrath knew no mercy. Man was a fool to believe that they could ever harness such power.

"…as long as it takes."

Just when he was about to pass out, the pressure on his neck disappeared. John gasped for air. He fell to the floor and collided against her body instead. His knees gave out. With a burst of power, Cortana hefted him upright.

His crushed windpipe choked on each breath. John dropped his head to her chest and listened to the frantic beat of her heart. He shut his eyes.

_ "Why won't you let me go?" _

Her broken whisper was the last thing he heard before the world went black.


	3. Breathe Again III

**NOTE: ** I finally watched the latest Batman movie. The inspiration today comes from the oh so provocative Catwoman. I wished we got a chance to see more of her. Even though Bane was great, I got kinda bored of just seeing his character. **  
**

Part 3 will be the final piece. I wish I could write many chapters like some authors!

The next story will be something a little different but still revolve around the development between Cortana's new life and Chief. We'll see how that goes once I post it.

I thought I'd be writing mostly to myself but I'm so glad to have you here with me. As always, thanks for reading. Enjoy! =)

**Part 3**

* * *

John dreamt of a storm.

The winds slapped face and the ground shook beneath his feet. The thunder rumbled and consumed him.

His eyes flickered and slowly opened. Immediately, he snapped them shut. The sunlight burned like laser beams through his brain.

"Rise and shine, Chief." The sudden cheerful voice bounced around his skull, jumbling all his thoughts.

John groaned. He ached all over. Slowly he tried again to pry his eyelids apart. The steel table was cold beneath his back. The sterile scent and the iron beams overhead told him that this must be the medic tent. Between the opened flaps, he could see propellers spinning, crates being loaded.

"The Pelican is hot and ready to go, sir. We're waiting on your command." The voice belonged to a fresh-faced Marine.

John sat up. The room spun at a dizzying speed. He took a breath and swung his heavy legs to the floor and just about puked on the soldier standing in front of him. Instead of jumping back, the Marine handed him a shirt with an encouraging smile on his face.

_Too young for war_, John thought.

"It must've been a goddamn Goliath to knock you out like this, Chief."

John made a desperate grab for the black pullover and used it to wipe the sweat from his face.

_"What?"_

The young soldier inched closer. He tried not to stare at the larger than life Master Chief sitting shirtless. "You don't remember? Cortana set us the coordinates to your position. You were pretty banged up when we got there."

_Those arms were bigger than my head_!

The Chief's body was cut with muscles that looked about as soft as steel. His large hands gripped the edge of the table. Scars ran across his torso in jagged angry lines. The bandaged around his neck still seeped with fresh blood. Seeing him up close, it was easy imagining Chief on the battlefield, ripping thru the covenant with his bare fingers. The young Marine couldn't believe that anything was strong enough to take the Chief down.

"She said you guys were attacked by some sort of massive bird. The size of a Pelican_._ "

John dropped his head into his hands hoping to drown out the pounding in his ears.

"Well was it?" The Marine insisted.

"Was it what?"

"The size of a Pelican?"

"Bigger."

They both lifted their gazes and watched as Cortana entered. John was slowly learning to get used to her presence again. He no longer froze like an idiot whenever she was near. But every once and awhile the sight of her still managed to knock the breath from his lungs.

_She was stunning. _

Today, she wore black. _Perhaps alluding to her earlier mood_. The dark color emphasized the pale glow in her eyes. The long sleeve jumpsuit covered her from the neck down, exposing little skin. She looked almost saintly_. Shy and innocent._ But the way she moved was absolutely sinful. The subtle gray lines in the suit's fabric drew the eyes down her body, from the delicate arch of her neck to the outline of her breasts, the soft flare of her hips to the lushness of her thighs, hinting at the secrets that lay in-between.

A bodysuit like that was designed to take a man's imagination to only one place.

_South. _

"Boys," Cortana smirked. "It's impolite to stare."

_Very south._

John quickly cleared his throat and made a fuss putting on his shirt. _So much for not looking like an idiot._ The Marine wasn't any better at saving face. The kid coughed hard enough to damage internal organs. The young soldier's ears were beet red. He stammered an apology and quickly vacated the tent as if gunfire was nipping at his heels.

John was getting tired of watching soldiers stutter and blush every time she walked into a room.

"Was it something I said?" Cortana feigned innocence. Her voice was teasing and her eyes clear. There were no traces of her breakdown earlier in the forest. Instead, she appeared soft and playful like a kitten asking for attention. She was far too feminine for this world of blood and war.

_The dark promises of her voice. The way she walked across the room. The secrets in her eyes. _

Out here, men would bleed for a chance at such softness.

John remained sitting on the table and listened to her quiet footsteps. He focused on the ground until her black boots came into view. He fought to remain indifferent. _Tried to act as if she didn't cause every molecule in his body to vibrate with energy. _That battle ended as soon as she reached out and traced stubble along his jaw line.

He cut his gaze to hers.

Her eyes widen.

The tears came so fast…it shocked the both of them.

John quickly broke away from her grasp. He would've run from the room if not for her hands on his shoulders.

"John," Cortana whispered, her voice no longer teasing. "What is it?"

He clenched his jaw until his teeth ached. John avoided her eyes. His skin felt too tight. The sudden emotions overwhelmed him.

"Tell me." She pleaded.

John shook her fingers from his face and leaned away. He couldn't think when she was this close. _Could barely breathe. _He gripped the table until it cracked.

Cortana watched his hackles rise. She took a small step back, instinct telling her to run. She clasped her hands in front of her and forced her feet to stay. She would give him enough space to breathe but never enough to hide. After everything they've been through, he owed her this truth. The galaxy wasn't big enough for his secrets anymore. She would stalk him to the edge of the universe to find out what he guarded so dearly at his core.

John was ready to tear the room in half. She pushed him to the brink of violence, demanding everything and left him with nothing. She thought him indifferent. But he bled beneath his armor. _To see her so broken. To watch her exist as just a shell of who she was. _The mask she despised was the only thing keeping him sane.

Cortana could never understand.

_Her laughter. _

_Her teasing smiles._

They devastated him. Reminded him of a time when she was whole. _Pure._ Her mind once outshone all the stars in the sky. One such as her was never meant to fall so far down.

He should've fought harder.

Instead, he left her behind. _Broke her to pieces. _Gave her up and watched her die so that he could go on fighting for a world that meant nothing once she was gone. But still she crawled herself out of hell and was slowly picking up the pieces he so carelessly abandoned. Her courage made a mockery of everything he stood for.

What was there left to say when she was the one who paid for all his failures?

"I'm sorry." Her voice low and quiet.

Those words from her lips were so ironic, John would've laughed if he didn't feel like dying. He was suddenly so tired of this war.

He felt her hands on his thighs. She stepped in-between his legs and traced the bandages around his neck. "I didn't mean this." She leaned until their heads touched. John shut his eyes. Cortana realized that he would never share his darkness with her. They could live a hundred lifetimes and still she would never know this part of him. Some wounds were never meant to heal. No one knew this better than her.

Outside the tent, the Pelican roared to life. Its propellers shook the ground.

Cortana rested her forehead against his and threaded her fingers through his short hair. The bristles tickled her palms. In that moment, she decided that he could keep his past and all his burdens.

She just wanted his future.

Cortana opened her eyes.

"Let's go home, John"


	4. Phoenix Burning

**NOTE: **Someone _finally_ showed me the complete Halo 4 ending. Cortana's voice actress is superb! I felt the heartbreak in every single syllable. In recollection, I believed Cortana had 'goodbye' in her eyes from the start. =(

I don't really know what the Composer is or all the events leading up to the end of the game. Please forgive my mistakes.

**STORY NOTE: Rewrite of Halo 4 ending**.

A stand-alone story that doesn't really connect with "Breathe Again."

In order for this story to work, you must assume:

**(1)** Cortana has been semi-human from the start of the Halo series.

**(2)** She could switch between her AI and human forms.

Thanks for all your wonderful words! As always, enjoy =)

* * *

Earth was dying.

The fire rose in massive hungry waves. Half the planet already engulfed by the flames. Continents lost. Oceans destroyed. Civilization burned to ashes in a blink of an eye. _So many lives…gone. _The Composer's beam was an orange blade that shot down from the heavens and penetrated the earth's core. Burning it from the inside out.

UNSC Infinity was drifting thousands of miles away, a silent witness to the fall of mankind. Despite such distance, the heat still pierced the ship's defenses.

The vessel was currently powered down. _Nothing more than a giant shadow floating through the dark fabric of space._

So far, they've managed to slip undetected beneath the Didact's probing scans. _Luck on their side_. But this dangerous dance would soon have to end. The Didact was absorbing power from the Composer. He would find them, it was only a matter when and where.

Cortana sat on the cot with her back against the wall, naked except for the blanket draped around her shoulders. A black jumpsuit was thrown carelessly on the floor. The clothing suffocated her. Cortana hugged her legs to her chest and cocooned herself beneath the soft white fabric. She never looked away from the small window ahead. With bloodshot eyes and a broken heart, she watched as Earth burned away. The screams pounded against her mental shield.

_Swoosh._

She knew who it was before the door slid opened.

His large body eclipsed the light from the hallway but couldn't stop the murmurs from reaching her ears.

_There's just not enough time. I don't want to die! _

_God help us all. _

_ You know I love you right? _

_ Please don't let go. _

The crew was petrified with the thought of dying. Cortana wanted to assure them that it would be a blessing if they'd only die. When she merged with the Didact's ship, she'd glimpsed the future he envisioned.

_There were far worse things than death. _

John ducked his head and entered the small room, immediately finding it harder to breathe.

The narrow rectangular space was more suitable for a supply closet than a living area. The room was empty except for a fold-down bed mounted on the ship's wall. Out of all the available rooms on the Infinity, she insisted on this particular one. John never understood why.

Cortana was huddled on the mattress, shivering beneath the thin sheet. In their powered-down state, the Infinity shunted all energy towards recharging the power supply. It was cold enough to condense his breath into clouds.

After a moment's hesitation, John lowered himself onto the small cot. It was risk every time she got this close. Already, the scent of her was enough to chip away his defenses. Trying to ignore her was like trying to ignore a tornado. Sooner or later, he'd get sucked in.

_The things he wanted from her_, John fought to calm his breathing. _They would send her running from the room._

The bed frame wobbled under the weight. Cortana instantly felt the warmth. She subtly relaxed her shoulders so that their skin touched. Heat radiated from his body as if from a furnace. A Spartan's higher metabolism kept their bodies warm even through the coldest of winter nights.

She suddenly wished that she could neatly fold herself beneath his skin. Burrow herself beyond all his strong sinuous muscles and lay to rest on his bones. Maybe then she'd know what it was like to be truly alive.

All she felt lately was the cold.

"Have you made contact with any UNSC ships?" His voice like sandpaper.

"No, the last transmission was too scrambled to establish a connection." Cortana sent the wavelengths into John's mind allowing him to hear the static fragments she managed to intercept earlier. "Sending another beacon would bring the Didact to our doorstep. We need to wait for him to jump portal."

By now, Earth was mostly a ball of embers. The blue no longer brilliant. The green no longer lush. Instead, the planet existed in shades of black. It was a painful sight to behold but Cortana forced her eyes to stay fixed on the window. This was her punishment. _Her failure._

"You don't have to watch," John said quietly.

The image in front of her blurred. It took a moment before she realized the tears in her eyes. "This is my fault."

"You did everything you could. The Didact was too powerful."

Cortana shook her head in denial. "You should have left me. I could've hacked into the ship's mainframe." She finally lost the fight and shut her eyes. But darkness offered no comfort. "I was so close.

"I connected with his mind, Chief."

John froze.

She never talked about what transpired during those last few moments on the Didact's ship. John could barely remember the details himself. All he saw when he closed his eyes was the blue of the energy bridge and the red of her blood.

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

The grenade had just exploded within the Didact's chest. The bastard fell to his knees but managed to teleport onto the next platform. John lunged for the nuke just as Cortana appeared screaming on the opposite end of the bridge.

_She was supposed to be on the Infinity!_

"You think you are the victor, Spartan. But you could never truly defeat me." The Didact panted, on his hands and knees. "You who have so much left to lose."

With her head between her hands, Cortana screamed loud enough to shred her throat.

John was rooted on the bridge. Indecision causing all his muscles to lock in one painful spasm. Behind him, the Didact sat weak and defeated. In front of him, he watched Cortana thrashed in agony.

"The beauty of humanity lies within its choices." The Didact slowly pushed himself to his feet. "It is time for you to make yours, human."

Suddenly, Cortana's scream took on a new decibel. He watched as she was ripped apart into another copy of herself.

Then another.

_Another._

_And another. _

Until there were a dozen copies of her, all screaming in pain. The rampant copies flickered in red and began dividing again. She screamed in agony.

"JOHN!"

He was halfway across the bridge before she finished word. His feet pounded in sync with his frantic heart. Humanity hung in the balance. The Didact's sick twisted laughter came from behind him. But all John could see was her blood on the floor.

He pushed his legs faster, feeling his muscles burn. John eyed the small opening overhead. If he timed it right, they might have a chance to escape. If he was wrong…well she always said he was lucky.

_Here's to luck_.

John armed the nuke and threw it down the bridge. There was only a 5 second window before the bomb detonated. He engaged his boosters at the last second and smashed through the console, disconnecting Cortana from the main computer.

_BOOM!_

The power of the explosion rocked the compound and blew the fuses within his jetpack. John slammed into the ground, rolled with the momentum and threw his body over Cortana just as he felt the nuke's electromagnetic force shred his armor.

_Not so lucky after all._

_…. .. … .. ._

…. .. … .. .

He had expected pain.

But death was surprising painless. It felt a bit like flying.

John opened his eyes, seeing double for a brief moment.

Cortana stared back from beneath but she looked right through him. Silent tears fell from her eyes.

John pushed himself off her body and looked around. They were enclosed in some type of energy bubble. Around them, the aftermath of the nuke floated in bits and pieces. Up ahead, a portal opened. He watched the Didact disappear, Composer and all.

The ship appeared badly damaged but still functional.

"What happened?"

Instead of answering him, she cried. With quiet sobs that consumed her whole body. When Cortana finally looked at him, John saw the end of the world in her eyes.

"Why, John?"

**OOOOOOOO  
**


	5. Phoenix Burning II

**NOTE:** I have no real story arc in mind. Lack of inspiration makes me such a slow writer.

As an apology, I will leave you with something sweet and **spicy?** =)

I'm debating about how to end this story without getting into trouble. A "fade to black" scene is not where momentum is leading us. O_O

* * *

"John," she whispered.

Her voice pierced through the muddled water of the past and pulled him to the surface of the present. John blinked and she watched him break free from the skeletons within his closet. But he turned and looked at her, all she saw were the ghosts and cobwebs of yesterday.

John scrubbed his hands over his eyes. She heard the thump of his head against the wall.

He stared at the shadows dancing across the ceiling. The weight of the world on his shoulders. At that moment, Cortana would've chewed off her own arm, _she would have killed,_ to get just a glimpse at the thoughts swirling through his mind.

She rested her cheek against her knees, staring at his strong profile. She told herself to be content with the words left unsaid. _To find comfort in the silence._ After all, he was a man who existed in secrets and built his life in layers.

Not so long ago, he was a mystery that captivated her. She spent her days soaking him in so that she could lay awake at night deciphering his words, his anger, lusts and hate. She once needed his approval more than she needed to breathe. She thought she was the code to his puzzle. But now their game of guesses and assumptions left her feeling too brittle.

Cortana had just dozed off when his husky voice filled the room.

"Seeing you there," John paused, the muscles in his throat working. "The plan changed."

"Why?" she whispered, coming wide awake. "What changed, John?"

For a second, he looked about to answer. _Finally! A piece of him. Offered freely and completely. _He opened his mouth but the words died before they ever left his lips. The disappointment was so great, Cortana thought she heard the crack of her heart hitting the floor.

John jumped to his feet.

He wanted to slam his fists through the wall and bash his head against the glass. Rip down the steel panels and punch a hole through the ship and watch himself suffocate. _Maybe then, on the brink of death, he'd find the right words to say._

Cortana listened to his angry footfalls as he stomped towards the door. John was frustrated because he was speechless. _Or was he speechless because he was frustrated? _It didn't matter. Either way, he did what he always did best.

He walked away.

"Where are you going, John?"

His fingers hovered on the door panel.

"Left down the corridor?" she asked. "Up the two flights of stairs? You think you'll find the answers in the War Room, John?"

_No! _His mind screamed. But at least there he could find comfort in the things that he knew. Like the feel of a weapon in the palm of his hands, the weight of the knife between his fingers, the smell of gunfire and the taste of blood in the air. He could kill and bleed and rain down death like an angry God without remorse. But he couldn't give up this armor. _Not even for her._

John ran his fingers through his hair, feeling the migraine gather within his skull. He listened to the rustling of the bed sheets, suddenly too loud for the quiet room. The weight of her eyes was like nails clawing down his spine. Her restless energy was a greedy demon that attacked his brain for answers.

_He needed to get out of here. _

"Don't you get tired of running, John?"

Her presence became a black hole that sucked the air from the room. He felt his vision tunneling. John clenched his hands, feeling the bite of his nails. He became so aware of her that the hair on the back of his neck stood up.

"John?" she murmured.

_John, John, John!_ His anger peaked. The power of the emotion turned the room momentarily red.

He glanced out the window.

The Earth was fucking _burning_ as they sat here dissecting feelings and emotions. He just sacrificed the entire planet! In a heartbeat, he traded every man, woman and child for her next breath. _Turned his back on a lifetime of training, and honor. _He slaughtered billions of innocent lives. The oceans ran red with the blood he spilled for her.

_What more did she fucking want?!_

"John?"

_ENOUGH!_ He turned from the door and was across the room so fast the air wasn't even disturbed.

Cortana blinked and he was in front of the bed with the look of murder in his eyes. She scrambled up from the mattress. The sheets twisting between her legs.

He grabbed her upper arms in a bruising grip and yanked her to her knees.

"John" she gasped.

_"Is this what you want?"_ he whispered low and fierce. He hauled her to his chest, slamming her body against his. _"Is it?!"_

John lifted her by her arms until her knees barely grazed the mattress. Her body fought for balance. He shook her violently. "_What do you want for me?!"_ he yelled.

"Stop it!" Her hands went up in defense. She clawed and pushed at his shoulders, suddenly afraid of the dangerous glint in his eyes.

Cortana's neck snapped in painful jerks_. _She felt his fingers cutting into her biceps. Fear had her gasping. Blood began to pool in her hands, numbing her limbs. Cortana struggled in his arms as black dots swam across her vision. _He was going to kill her on accident!_

Instinct made her fight harder. She pushed and pulled, kicked and clawed and somehow managed to yank an arm free.

_SMACK! _

Pain exploded up her hand.

John whipped his head around. The right side of his face was red with the imprint of her fingers. His pupils dilated, his nostrils flared in anger. She felt his body flexed with power and Cortana flinched, waiting for his retaliation. _For the impact of his fist to rip flesh and break bones. _

But it never came.

Instead, all she felt was his heavy breath across her face. His loud pants pierced her eardrums, the spicy scent of him tickled her nose. His anger commanded the air and filled the tiny room until he became both her sight and her sensation.

Cortana was left breathless.

This was the face behind the mask. A Spartan without his armor. _A man without his God. _He was her monster and her savior. Her beginning and end.

She saw in his eyes the fire threatening to burn out of control. Electricity pricked her skin, making her suddenly aware of the feel of his clothes against her naked skin. The hard steel of his muscles along the softness of her body.

_She was his secret and his shame. His wants and his desires.  
_

_She was his deepest love. His greatest hate._

Because of her, he damned mankind. The future promised a world of pain and fire. Tomorrow they would battle for survival. But for tonight...she would burn in his arms.

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

Cortana pushed up from her knees and kissed him.

John jerked in surprise. She used the moment to quickly break from his grasp and pulled his head down into the violence of the kiss.

Their teeth clashed. She bit his lip, pulled on the flesh until she bruised the skin. John cupped the back of her head, trying to slow the momentum when he felt the slide of her tongue against his. Cortana moaned as she licked the roof of his mouth.

"God," she gasped. Her breath so hot.

His fingers tighten in her hair, holding her steady as his mouth took over. She felt lightheaded but she needed him more than the air in her lungs...


End file.
